Water-Quality Assessment of Part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin Ground-Water Quality in the Prairie Du Chien-Jordan Aquifer, 1996
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USGS^ science for a changing world National Water-Quality Assessment Program Water-Quality Assessment of Part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin Ground-Water Quality in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan Aquifer, 1996 Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4248 Upper Mississippi River Basin National Water-Quality Assessment Study Unit U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey United States Department of the Interior U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Water Resources Division 2280 Woodale Drive Mounds View MN 55112 (612) 783-3230 email: [email protected] February 26, 1999 Dear Colleague, Enclosed find our most recent report written as part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMIS), entitled "Water-Quality Assessment of Part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin Ground- Water Quality in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan Aquifer, 1996," by Alison L. Fong, William J. Andrews, and James R. Stark. This report describes chemical charac teristics of water in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan aquifer, the principal aquifer in terms of source water to wells in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, and the effects of confining units on the qual ity of the water. Additional copies of the report, released as Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4248, can be purchased from the U.S. Geological Survey, Branch of Information Ser vices, Box 25286, Federal Center, Denver CO 80225-0286. Sincerely, James R. Stark Study Chief, UMIS NAWQA Enclosure U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Water-Quality Assessment of Part of the Upper Mississippi River Basin, Minnesota and Wisconsin Ground-Water Quality in the Prairie du Chien-Jordan Aquifer, 1996 By Alison L. Fong, William J. Andrews, and James R. Stark Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4248 National Water-Quality Assessment Program U.S. Department of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Charles G. Groat, Director Use of product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not constitute endorsement by the U.S. Geological Survey Mounds View, Minnesota, 1998 For additional information write to: District Chief U.S. Geological Survey, WRD 2280 Woodale Drive Mounds View MN 55112 Copies of this report can be purchased from: U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Information Services Box 25286 Federal Center Denver CO 80225 Information regarding the National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) is available on the Internet via the World Wide Web. You may connect to the NAWQA Home Page using the Universal Resource Locator (URL) at: http://wwwrvares.er.usgs.gov/nawqa/nawqa_home.html Information about the Upper Mississippi River Basin Project of the NAWQA Program is available on the World Wide Web at: http://wwwmn.cr.usgs.gov/umis/index.html Water-Resources Investigations Report 98-4248 Forward Improve understanding of the primary natural and human factors that affect water-quality The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey conditions. (USGS) is to assess the quantity and quality of the This information will help support the earth resources of the Nation and to provide development and evaluation of management, information that will assist resource managers and regulatory, and monitoring decisions by other Federal, policy makers at Federal, State, and local levels in State, and local agencies to protect, use, and enhance making sound decisions. Assessment of water-quality water resources. conditions and trends is an important part of this overall mission. The goals of the NAWQA Program are being achieved through ongoing and proposed investigations One of the greatest challenges faced by water- of 60 of the Nation's most important river basins and resources scientists is acquiring reliable information aquifer systems, which are referred to as study units. that will guide the use and protection of the Nation's These study units are distributed throughout the Nation water resources. That challenge is being addressed by and cover a diversity of hydrogeologic settings. More Federal, State, interstate, and local water-resource than two-thirds of the Nation's freshwater use occurs agencies and by many academic institutions. These within the 60 study units and more than two-thirds of organizations are collecting water-quality data for a the people served by public water-supply systems live host of purposes that include: compliance with permits within their boundaries. and water-supply standards; development of remediation plans for a specific contamination National synthesis of data analysis, based on problem; operational decisions on industrial, aggregation of comparable information obtained from wastewater, or water-supply facilities; and research on the study units, is a major component of the program. factors that affect water quality. An additional need for This effort focuses on selected water-quality topics water-quality information is to provide a basis on using nationally consistent information. Comparative which regional and national-level policy decisions can studies will explain differences and similarities in be based. Wise decisions must be based on sound observed water-quality conditions among study areas information. As a society we need to know whether and will identify changes and trends and their causes. certain types of water-quality problems are isolated or The first topics addressed by the national synthesis are ubiquitous, whether there are significant differences in pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and conditions among regions, whether the conditions are aquatic biology. Discussions on these and other water- changing over time, and why these conditions change quality topics will be published in periodic summaries from place to place and over time. The information can of the quality of the Nation's ground and surface water be used to help determine the efficacy of existing as the information becomes available. water-quality policies and to help analysts determine This report is an element of the comprehensive the need for and likely consequences of new policies. body of information developed as part of the NAWQA To address these needs, the Congress appropriated Program. The program depends heavily on the advice, funds in 1986 for the USGS to begin a pilot program in cooperation, and information from many Federal, seven project areas to develop and refine the National State, interstate, Tribal, and local agencies and the Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program. In public. The assistance and suggestions of all are greatly 1991, the USGS began full implementation of the appreciated. program. The NAWQA Program builds upon an Robert M. Hirsch existing base of water-quality studies of the USGS, as Chief Hydrologist well as those of other Federal, State, and local agencies. The objectives of the NAWQA Program are to: Describe current water-quality conditions for a large part of the Nation's freshwater streams, rivers, and aquifers. Describe how water quality is changing over time. in IV Contents Page Abstract............................................................................................................^ Introduction ................................................................................. Purpose and scope..............................................................................................................................................................^ Description of the study area ........................................................................................................................................................2 Climate....................................................................................................................................................^ Hydrogeologic setting........................................................................................................^ Land use and land cover.................................................................................................................................................? Population and water use................................................................................................................................................7 Methods of well selection, sample collection, and data analysis..................................................................................................? Acknowledgments...........................................................^ Ground-water quality.....................................................................................................................................................^ Physical parameters..............................................................................................^ Major ions ............................................................................... Nutrients and dissolved organic carbon...................................................................................................................................... 14 Trace metals......................................................................^ Radon ....................................................................................................................................................... Tritium ..............................................................................................................................................................^ Pesticides........................................................................................................^